Fighting the Inevitable
by Cinders Kitten
Summary: 7th year. Harry was hoping to finally have some peace unfortunatley Draco Malfoy has other ideas and they end up spending two months worth of detentions stuck with each other. Its ok Harry can cope, he's put up with worse ... right?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own the character sadly :( I just like messing with their heads.

Prologue

"Confused, Potter. That was your excuse! No wonder she came crawling to me for comfort, which I was only too happy to give" Malfoy sneered. Consequently Harry pushed down just a little bit harder with his arm across the blond's throat, pushing him further into the wall as he let his wand indent into his chest.

"You forced her! There's no way she would touched you willingly you slimy git, what did you do?" Harry could feel his chest heaving, his wand arm shaking slightly as his anger boiled over wracking his body with miniature tremors.

"Something you didn't...her." Malice coating every syllable this was the last shove Harry needed as he threw aside his wand and brought his fist back around to crunch into Malfoy's jaw. The insufferable git had gone too far this time in his attempts to antagonise Harry. Once again as he was finally managing to live his life the way he wanted, no Voldemort, nobody depending on him and his life no longer at risk he had been perfectly content to enjoy his life and school like he had always longed to do. This was without factoring in one _Draco Malfoy_. He wouldn't have even been here if Harry hadn't spoken up for him and his family and all he had done since he got back was gain a reputation and attempt to irritate Harry to death.

Feeling Malfoy's hands press into his chest Harry had a split seconds warning before he was shoved unceremoniously backwards, staggering to keep his footing long enough to duck the fist aimed for his face and tackle Malfoy to the ground. Exchanging a flurry of blows, each constantly vying for the height advantage they had managed to roll the length of the corridor leaving a speckled trail of blood in their wake. Choking slightly on the blood filling his mouth Harry attempted to flip them over once again snarling all the while at the battered face of the Slytherin above him. Finally gaining the upper ground he managed to grab fistfuls of Malfoy's shirt to hold him in place only to freeze at the sight of the emerald robes standing just ahead of where they were fighting.

"What's the matter Potter finally realised..."

"What on EARTH is going on here?" McGonagall's shrill voice resounded from the stone walls around them. "I'm on my way to a staff/prefect meeting and hear all this grunting and snarling, only to find you two rolling around on the floor like a pair of cavemen! Stand up this instant and tell me what in Merlin's name is going on here" Her lips pressed into a thin line as she waited. Harry found himself scrambling off Malfoy onto the floor and proceeding to struggle to his feet in front of the Headmistress. Malfoy as usual was able to roll himself over and stand with grace and elegance even though his left eye was swelling rapidly, a shadow already beginning to darken the skin.

Standing silently before McGonagall Harry found himself without a valid excuse for his behaviour, none that he could tell the Headmistress at any rate. It seemed as if Malfoy was equally forthcoming as they stood side by side staring at the floor in shame just waiting for their punishment to be dished out. It would be bad, Harry knew. McGonagall held him above the rest of the students even though she shouldn't, she was as eternally grateful to Harry as the rest of the wizarding world and let it show in the leniency she allowed him. Malfoy on the other hand was a different matter. Though McGonagall had agreed to let him come back to Hogwarts to re-do his 7th year it had only been Harry's reminding her that Malfoy had helped save Harry's life and hadn't technically committed any war crimes, though at the death eater trials he was ordered to pay a large sum of galleons to the ministry for his troubles. Whereas Harry had leniency, Malfoy faced harsher punishments.

"Well" McGonagall broke the silence."Seen as neither of you care to share the reason for your brawling, I shall have to assume that it is once again down to this school boy rivalry you share." Well she was on the right tracks there Harry reasoned. "Ever since the start of the school year there have been a number of incidents of petty arguments and damages to the school from your seemingly spontaneous duelling." He could see Malfoy wince in recollection next to him. "This however is too far, you boys have just been practically attempting murder the way you were fighting and I will stand for it no longer. Either you will learn to work together or you will be expelled from the school indefinitely." The headmistress' voice lowered to naught but a whisper as she let her threat wash over the blood spattered teenagers in front of her.

"What exactly do you mean work together...?" Harry asked, a feeling of foreboding weighing down his stomach. Looking up at the woman in front of him he could see Malfoy staring at her, his face paling slightly standing in sharp contrast to the crimson blood from his split lip.

"Well Mr Potter, you and Mr Malfoy shall be participating in two months worth of joint detention..."

"What?"

"Professor!"

McGonagall held up a silencing hand, cutting through the outraged shouts. "You have both only yourselves to blame for this so I suggest you stop complaining if only to prevent you situation worsening. Every two weeks I will set a different task for you to complete and I expect no report of any further incidents, I assure you I am not above further reprimand. I will speak to you both tomorrow morning before breakfast to give you your first task, I expect you both at my office at 7:30am sharp. Now straight to your common rooms this instant and I don't want either of you leaving for the rest of the evening!"

Glancing up at the fixed stern gaze he was receiving Harry fought against all instincts to complain that this torture was entirely unfair and turned on his heel walking with hunched shoulders towards Gryffindor. This was totally unbelievable! Now he was going to have to spend every weeknight for eight weeks with his worst enemy. One year, that's all he wanted, one freaking year of peace but thanks to Malfoy who couldn't keep his nose out of anything he was heading for some of the worst months of his life.

"Password dear?" Harry looked up startled to find himself standing in front of the fat lady already, thinking about going in there brought back the whole reason he and Malfoy had been fighting in the first place. He couldn't even stand to think about Ginny right now let alone look at her; the common room was the last place he wanted to be. His bitterness over the whole situation causing him to unconsciously grimace, Harry couldn't believe the gall of the girl to ask him for forgiveness after telling him outright what she had done.

"Atlas" he muttered, shaking his head and summoning up his prided Gryffindor courage he stepped through the portrait hole. A cursory glance around revealed most of the 7th years milling about the common room, Ron and Hermione occupying a loveseat in front of the fire surrounded by Neville, Seamus and Parvati. Harry wasn't in the mood for the questions his appearance would undoubtedly raise, nobody knew about anything that had happened yet and he would gladly keep it that way for tonight. Striding across the room he made it about halfway before his friends noticed his presence.

"Harry mate, over here" Ron shouted attempting to wave him over.

"Godric! Harry what happened?" gasped Hermione who was a little bit more observant than Ron and had quickly noted the state the black haired boy was in.

"I don't want to talk about it right now Hermione" Harry ground out. "I just want to go to bed I'll talk to you in the morning alright?" Without waiting for a reply he turned and ascended the boys staircase heading straight for the top floor ignoring the shouts echoing from the room behind him.

Ten minutes later found Harry lying on his staring at the crimson canopy feeling for all the world as though he had been submerged into a red lake as the curtains where drawn around him, the flickering candle light dancing in ominous patterns through the fabric. His stomach was still roiling in anger as he thought about the day's events, knowing even as his did so that tomorrow would only be worse. Releasing a deep sigh he rolled over and buried his face into the pillows settling himself in for a night of restless sleep, dreading his morning meeting with McGonagall.

**A.N Ok so the idea just occurred to me and was harassing me until I wrote it down, I have a lot of the storyline planned out already for this. Like I said it was really bugging me! Let me know what you think **


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Ok so bear with me with this chapter, it may not be to exciting but its laying out the basic plot. Enjoy x**

Chapter 1

Slowly drifting from his unconscious state, Harry became aware of two separate weights positioned on the end of his bed and the low hiss of whispering emanating from the general area. Daring to crack open one of his eyes it was all he could do not to groan at the sight of his two best friends perched on opposite sides of his bed holding a whispered debate about who was to wake him up. His friends were planning on an intervention, he could tell, and he wanted no part of it.

"Could you at least let me get washed and dressed first before you start with the interrogation?" he croaked, trying to inject a slight bit of humour into his voice.

"Harry, what is going on? What happened to your face it's a mess? This was really irresponsible Harry you look like you could have been seriously hurt" was the rushed response from Hermione. He almost chuckled, some people never change and he was glad for one that he could always depend on Hermione to try and lecture him even though she's worried.

"Yeah mate, who'd you get into a fight with? Did you win?" Ron sounded extremely excited over the matter which yet again was a typical standard response. Harry could just imagine the red heads face when he found out it was Malfoy, although there wasn't a victor to the fight they were surely both in a similar state of health after it.

"Shower first" he groaned whilst trying to roll out of bed "and then I will tell you what happened." Stepping gingerly onto the cold stone floor and squinting in the direction of the bathroom Harry headed off to attempt to freshen up and clean the wounds on his face slightly.

Feeling marginally better after getting ready, he'd had to have Hermione pass his uniform around the bathroom door to him as he forgot it while attempting to escape them, Harry re-entered his door room looking towards his bed where his friends where still perched, Ron looking at him in anticipation and Hermione with a slightly reproachful glare.

"First things first, I don't suppose you can help me out with this a bit can you 'mione?" he asked gesturing around the regions of his face. There was no way Madame Pomfrey would give him so much as a pain reducing potion once she learn that his injury's where the result of a fight, it was her policy that if such a thing occurred then it was said persons stupid fault for entering into the fight in the first place, there is such a thing as defensive magic and she wouldn't spend her time healing black eyes when there were other serious matters to attend to. Harry had heard this speech countless times over the 7 years he'd been here and had given up trying after countless run-ins with Malfoy.

"I can only reduce the swelling and age the bruises somewhat Harry, the rest is going to have to have to heal naturally I'm afraid, it is your own fault though." Holding his retort that it was far from his fault he only stood still as she pointed her want at his face and began murmuring numerous incantations. Feeling the pressure of the swelling reduced greatly and being able to open both eyes fully, if slightly painfully, again reassured him that Hermione's spell had worked. Not that he'd had any doubts mind you.

"So tell us then, what happened?" Ron's voice broke the silence after Hermione's spell. He was practically bouncing on the bed in eagerness to find out; Harry thought that if he were to possibly delay the tale even longer he would end up with another black eye from Ron trying to beat the story out of him.

"Err, I had a bit of a disagreement with Malfoy last night" he murmured, staring resolutely at Ron, Hermione's reaction was something he was both expecting and dreading.

"Oh Harry you're both acting like children!" Hermione tutted though Harry barely heard it through Ron's loud exclamation.

"What! That slimy bastard, I hope you gave him what he deserved Harry, he shouldn't even be allowed near this school the death eater..."the snarled ending was something Harry chose to ignore as he was fed up of justifying his actions to Ron about speaking for Malfoy.

"No Ronald, I think the question we should be asking is what exactly did you get into a fight about and surely you must realise Headmistress McGonagall will start asking questions when she sees the two you walking round like you've gone twelve rounds with Mike Tyson. Muggle reference Ron" she muttered upon seeing the confused look he was shooting her before turning an expectant gaze back towards Harry.

"There is no need to worry about that, McGonagall caught us fighting and split it up now I've got two spend two months in detention with the git, something about learning to work together" Harry said feeling his misery at the situation only increasing.

"No way that is so unfair! I bet it was all Malfoy's fault in the first place, Harry; you should talk to McGonagall and tell her that. You shouldn't have to spend any more time with that slimy pureblood" Ron's words just made Harry feel all the more queasy about having to tell him what the reason for the fight was in the first place. Ginny was his little sister after all, how was he going to feel hearing that she'd gone and slept with Malfoy out of spite. God Malfoy would be lucky not to end up six foot under after Ron got hold of him; this was definitely a step too far. Still, if he could avoid it for now...

"I have to go now, got to see Professor McGonagall before breakfast and find out just what torture I'll have to deal with." Harry grimaced "As if everything wasn't bad enough already" he muttered bitterly, crossing the room heading for the door quickly, he was already late.

"What do you mean?"

"Harry wait..."

Without pausing Harry threw a quick "Later" over his shoulder making his way swiftly down the stairs and through the common room. It was still too early for the majority of Gryffindor to be awake yet, most people would only just be rolling out of bed right about now, rushing to get ready in time to get to breakfast in time. He didn't care, not really in the mood to face the rest of his house and friends the silence suited him just fine. _It also means you don't have to see Ginny, _his mind supplied. Growling Harry shoved that though into the back of his mind not wanting to deal with the onslaught of emotions that the betrayal caused. Shaking his head Harry headed out of the portrait hole and carried on his way to the stone gargoyle.

Finding himself outside the door to the Headmistresses office, he raised a fist and knocked twice on the door, steeling himself for the lecture and punishment he was about to receive. Hearing the terse "Come in" Harry schooled his expression to relax from the scowl it was in. There was nothing he could do about this punishment so he was just going to have to deal with it; he wasn't exactly a stranger to the concept after all.

Pushing open the door and entering the office Harry found himself still automatically expecting the puffing silver instruments sat on spindly legged tables and the red and gold plumage of Fawkes perched upon a stand. He had to pause for a moment as a fresh wave of grief washed over him at the loss of Dumbledore. Seeing the severe gaze of McGonagall watching him from the other side of the desk was alien to Harry as he somehow still expected to feel the penetrating look that the twinkling blue eyes used to bestow upon him.

"If you would take a seat please Mr Potter" Professor McGonagall instructed, watching unmoving as Harry stepped forward to seat himself in one unoccupied chair in front of her desk. Still he thought to himself as he glanced around the room, the room didn't scare him as much as it used when Dumbledore occupied it. There was a definite undertone of the Gryffindor house colour spread throughout the room now from the faded squishy scarlet sofa settled in front of the fire in the corner of the room, to the red themed border running around the walls or the way all the portraits of the old headmaster now sat in sparkling gold frames. The room was a lot more homely than dark mahogany and golden cream Dumbledore had seemed to prefer and there was a distinct lack of the feeling that if Harry where to peer into a cupboard he would find a pensieve filled with dark memories of Voldemort. This Harry found to be a reassuring feeling allowing him to relax slightly more than he had ever let himself do before when sitting in this room.

"Well gentlemen I see you both now bear the disturbing evidence of the ungainly brawl you participated in last night." Professor McGonagall said, anger still evidence in the undertone of her voice. Harry glance to his side realising that he hadn't once spared a glance to the icy blond sat rigidly in the chair next to him. Trying to inconspicuously sweep his gaze over Malfoy Harry was able to note with a slight satisfaction that he was sporting much the same degree of damage as Harry. There was a large split in his lip from where Harry hand managed to land his first punch, yellowing bruises blossomed across his jaw line leading toward the dark purple/blue shadow surrounding his left eye and spreading slightly down the side of his nose. Malfoy had obviously managed to get somebody to aid his injuries, Harry noted, just like he had Hermione to help him. Eyes flicking back once over his face the Green eyed boy was startled to realise he had been caught staring and Malfoy was currently glaring back at him with a pretentious sneer fixed firmly in place. Returning the hatred communicated through the look in full force Harry turned his attention back toward McGonagall to find her watching the interaction between the two boys with a tight frown pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"I see that you boys have yet to even consider the possibility of being hospitable towards each other, even for the sake of your education." Harry felt his stomach drop slightly. McGonagall was deadly serious about the prospect of him and Malfoy getting along or being expelled. "I hope you both consider the part you played in the war" she said eyes flicking between them. Harry chanced a glance at Malfoy again only to find him staring resolutely in the direction of McGonagall, his face a practiced blank mask. "You are both equally known in Hogwarts and in the outside world as figureheads for the side of Light and Dark and people will be watching you very closely indeed. In the face of this power of influence the way you have both acted recently towards each other is despicable, how do you expect petty prejudices to be put aside so the wizarding world can reunite once more if we attempt to carry them on." Harry's cheeks flamed here as he dropped his gaze to stare at his hands; it was the same question he had asked McGonagall when she was considering Malfoy's acceptance.

"It is due to this prejudice that I have elected to make an example of the two of you, should you let me down it will be more of your time that you will be forced to spend in each other's company as punishment." Raising her hand to effectively silence their attempted protests she said "you _will_ learn to get along, I will hear no excuses or complaints concerning the matter." Harry feeling his neck begin to prickle turned around to find Malfoy looking at him as though he were something akin to Pigwidgeon's droppings. Oh spending his time with the spoilt brat was going to be super fun. He let out a sigh.

Turning his attention back to the Headmistress Harry reluctantly asked "What are we going to be doing?" A small groan could be heard from the space next to him as Malfoy answered McGonagall's inquiring look with sharp nod.

"You have two months worth of detention during which you will spend two weeks at a time under a certain member of staff. You will begin by reporting to Professor Slughorn tonight after dinner and he will give you your instructions, I believe he will be sending you to search out potion ingredients in the forbidden forest soon." Standing and waving her arm toward the door she dismissed them with a short "That will be all."

Standing quickly and heading for the door Harry began mulling the idea over in his head, Potions may no longer be his worst subject but that didn't mean he wanted to spend more time there that necessary. What was that about the forest as well, and with Malfoy, Harry could clearly remember the last time he had detention in there with him back in first year. Well that had been a disaster!

"Watch it Potter!" sneered Malfoy shoving Harry out the way to step onto the spiral staircase first,

"Look Malfoy" he growled."You just keep you trap shut and stay away from me, I'm not going to speak to you unless absolutely necessary so don't get in my way"

"Oh don't flatter yourself Potter you're nothing special anymore _Chosen One_, unlike you I value my education and I'm not going to get kicked out because you threw a hissy fit over your little weaselette running off to find herself a proper man" he sneered, shoving his way onto the corridor with Harry right on his tail. "You should have dealt with the problem yourself and then none of this would have happened"

"You're the one who went and got yourself involved Malfoy you could have stayed away and minded your own business instead of being the cause of my supposed girlfriend cheating on me and all because you'll bed anything with a pulse!" Harry was hardly paying attention to their surroundings as he strode after Malfoy down the corridor in the direction of the great hall. This git had a lot to answer for and right now it was easier for Harry to be angry at him and ignore the pain of what Ginny had done.

"Who am I to turn away a pretty girl crying over her '_confused_' boyfriend, even if she was a weasel?" he had a looked of feigned innocence over his face that made Harry's blood boil. Slamming through another set of doors Harry whirled around to face the slightly taller blonde.

"Shut up! You'll regret this if you don't shut up Malfoy I swear" Harry knew his voice was raised but he didn't care, there was nobody he hated more right now than this boy in front of him. Turning to walk away the black haired boy realised why Malfoy hadn't shouted back, they where stood just inside the great hall and the room had entered a deathly silence waiting to see what entertainment they would provide.

Huffing and cursing his inability to pay attention to where he was going, Harry crossed the hall to the Gryffindor table, stoically ignoring the whispers that where breaking out all around him. He knew what it looked like him and Malfoy arguing and with the both of them bearing evidence of a fight it didn't take a genius to work out what had happened. It was just why that was the problem; he didn't want to deal with those rumours. Slumping onto the bench next to Hermione who was sat opposite Ron he lowered his head onto his arms and contemplated just falling asleep right there.

"So, Harry, are you going to tell us what happened?" Hermione asked hesitantly, knowing all the signals of Harry's destructive moods.

"Two months... different every two weeks... more time if we fight...examples of us...potions" Was all that Ron and Hermione could make out from the mumbles of their best friend.

"Aw mate that's bad..."Ron started before a glare from Hermione caused him to try and back track. "Err well I mean, look it's not all that bad is it err oh at least you pull of the black eye better than Malfoy, he just looks like a twat!" He smiled as if that was the miracle Harry was looking for.

Well, at least Harry was able to crack a smile when Ron nearly choked to death on his breakfast after Lavender had turned around and told him just how hot she thought Malfoy actually was.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Sighing Harry walked across the entrance hall, heading in the direction of the dungeons. He'd kept to himself for most of the day after answering Ron and Hermione's questions with the most mundane replies he could get away with at breakfast. Professor McGonagall's revelation this morning had done nothing to aid Harry's despair at his current situation. Not only was he being forced to spend an excess of time with his bitter enemy, he would also have to repeatedly look into the face of the person his girlfriend cheated on him with. Fucking Malfoy. As much as Harry had decided to back him up at the Death Eater trials and here at Hogwarts, it didn't mean he felt anything other than disdain for the boy.

Turning into the corridor that housed all the potions rooms Harry spotted the object of his musings lounging against the wall outside the door to Slughorn's study. Trying to look anywhere other than the sneering face of Malfoy, who was currently trying to melt Harry from thirty paces with the force of his glare, Harry continued walking down the corridor getting closer to him with every step much to his dissatisfaction. Harry had, so far, been able to avoid any issue concerning Ginny altogether; well in the eyes of his friends anyway. Nobody but Harry, Ginny and Malfoy knew what had happened and Ginny had locked herself in her dorm all day feigning illness with an excuse so transparent he suspected nobody bought it. In actuality Harry had been very surprised that Hermione hadn't pinned him down at some point during the day for questioning over his apparent disregard of his 'Girlfriend's' health. Well, he supposed that he had provided her with a fair distraction in the form of his fight with Malfoy, but Hermione was clever and it wouldn't be long before she managed to put two and two together. That's what Harry was afraid of.

"Well Potter, going to stand there daydreaming all night? I don't much care for drool on my shoes." Harry started out of his revere to realise that he had drawn level with Malfoy and for some reason has stopped dead in the middle of the corridor, staring blankly ahead as his mind had continued to wander. Turning to shoot a glare at the blonde, who was still leaning against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, Harry crossed and knocked on the door praying to all the muggle deities that this would be over quickly.

"Well, well, well good evening boys" chortled Professor Slughorn, opening the door to his study. "Minnie did tell me that you two had had something of a disagreement, though I daresay it's expected. Rivalries between the houses of Slytherin and Gryffindor have been a staple part of this school's history for centuries, and you boys have one reminiscent of Salazar and Godric themselves." Smiling broadly between Harry and Draco he stepped out of his room, shutting the door with a soft click behind him. Forced to then turn sideways to pass between the two students who were unmoving from their positions, Slughorn began to waddle away down the corridor.

Harry followed behind Slughorn, unconsciously falling into step with Malfoy as he did so, and tried to tune out the professor's ramblings about a famous historian friend with a best seller on the lives of the founders. A movement to the side caught Harry's eye and he turned just in time to catch Malfoy shake his head muttering "Minnie?" An involuntary snort escaped past his lips at this, Malfoy's head snapping around to face him at the sound. Cursing his slip up Harry sent a glare in the blonde's direction and the narrowed eyes he received in return were enough to freeze water. Rolling his eyes to the ceiling Harry turned his attention back to Slughorn just in time to see him opening the door to the potions classroom.

"Right lads, in here if you please" Slughorn gestured toward the doorway leaving no room for options with his statement. Walking through the doorway Harry was met with a scene of total destruction. Parchment and some other unknown substance littered the room along with numerous other items, all in all it looked like someone had let loose a few blasting curses in here. A groan from a little way behind him told him that Malfoy had entered the room as well. Suddenly Harry knew that this would not be over quickly, they would be lucky if they managed to finish it before class in the morning!

"Now boys, I had a rather rambunctious first year class last period today" Slughorn boomed from the doorway, positioning himself as if to block a possible escape attempt. "So if you will kindly clean this up for me for classes tomorrow and you can leave when you're done." Turning to leave he paused and added as if in afterthought "Oh and you know the rules, no magic during detentions." The door shut behind him with a sharp snap, any hopes Harry had harboured about the old wizard forgetting to mention that they couldn't use their wands were lost, turning back to face the room Harry felt mildly disappointed.

It must have been at least five minutes since Slughorn left and Harry had yet to move an inch, Malfoy in much the same situation next to him. Harry couldn't shake the feeling that they were going to be here all night trying to clear this, especially if they started arguing again. With a resolute sigh Harry stepped forward and began to pile up the parchment on the nearest desk. Once started Harry didn't look up from his task, preferring to not get distracted so he could get it finished all the quicker. Also he was hoping that Malfoy would follow his lead and complete their detention in silence, they couldn't afford anymore arguments, he was very conscious of McGonagall's overhanging threat of expulsion even though it was more for Malfoy than himself. Harry didn't want Malfoy expelled over anything to do with him, he knew Ron would most likely put this down to his so called 'Hero Complex' but it was more the fact that Harry wanted nothing to do with the boy, never mind something he could possibly find himself feeling guilty for in the future. No, Malfoy could dig himself into a hole well enough on his own and Harry would be quite happy to sit back and watch the self destruction; after all he had paid Malfoy and his family back for saving his life so he could forget about it now, right?

He felt Malfoy stalk past him not long after he had started working and heard his footsteps cross to the other side of the room, seemingly trying to get as far away from Harry as was possible in the confined space of the classroom, and proceed to shift things around. Some hours later after working diligently Harry had soon managed to clear half of the room; he and Malfoy hadn't uttered a word to each other though surprisingly Harry had found himself vastly entertained by the blonde's incessant muttering. As he continued with his work the raven haired boy found himself increasingly loosing focus often finding he was glancing up towards Malfoy to see what had brought on the boy's latest annoyed grumblings. Very often Harry would spot him gingerly picking up inky parchment with the very tips of his fingers, holding it as far from his person as possible or toeing things across the floor with the very tip of his dragon hide shoes so he wouldn't have to pick them up.

Looking closely at his own hands with his calloused palms and finger tips and stubby slightly nicked nails Harry mentally snorted. After years of hard Quidditch training and certain ex students turned evil wizards occupying his time Harry hardly had the effort to worry about the state of his hands. He washed them as frequently as needed and applied a cutting charm (found in a library book Hermione had read for 'leisure time') once in a while. Glancing over at Malfoy again he almost laughed at his prissy pureblood attitude with his perfectly manicured nails and, Harry reckoned, the skin would be baby soft courtesy of an undoubtedly expensive cream. Malfoy probably hadn't had to do any manual labour at all never mind chores until he got to Hogwarts, his parents probably wouldn't have wanted their perfect pureblood son to break a nail or Merlin forbid get a bruise from any physical activities. Harry wondered what they would think of his choice of extracurricular activities now.

"Eurgh! That's disgusting."Harry leant against a nearby desk and looked over to where Malfoy stood. He burst out laughing at the sight, unable to contain his amusement. Malfoy was stood next to the far wall; he had the sleeve of his robes pressed tightly over his mouth and nose, which looked as though they were turned down in a scowl, and was using a stirring rod he had obviously found strewn in the room to poke at a thick green globule of potion that had splattered on the wall. Harry's laughing once again caused Malfoy to look over, one pale eyebrow rising as he did so. Shaking his head still chuckling, Harry returned to clearing the desk he was leaning on, the air filling with mutterings again shortly after. Around another hour of work and the majority of the room was clear.

"So Potter..." Malfoy threw the last of the parchment off a desk and lifted himself to sit on it, facing Harry.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Exasperation was evident in Harry's tone, they were nearly finished, and he didn't need this now.

"This is work for a houself Potter, I shouldn't have to do it and I've had enough" Malfoy sneered indignantly.

"Well far be it from me to make you get your nails dirty but unless you want to get us both expelled, I suggest you shut up and get on with it." Harry kept his face over where he was working, trying fruitlessly to gain control over his anger. He was just beginning to lose his disgust at finding himself in the Slytherin's company; maybe he would even go as far to say as the presence was comforting as they struggled to get the room in order together. Then he went and started speaking, and Harry got a reality check.

"You know Potter; I can't help but wonder why McGonagall is treating her Gryffindor golden boy the same as a lowly Slytherin in this situation. You are, after all, the amazing, the fantastic Harry bloody Potter." Malfoy mused, swinging his legs slightly as he spoke. Because it's my fault you're here, Harry considered answering. _That would do more harm than good Harry,_ his inner Hermione chastised. Maybe, but it would be good to wipe that smirk off his face for once. And yes I have finished my charms homework.

"I'm no more important than you Malfoy; we're both just plain and simple Hogwarts students now. Nothing more" he said, and element a weariness seeping into his tone.

"Yes of course Boy Wonder" Malfoy snorted inelegantly. Harry ignored his disbelief, instead continuing to scrub at the cauldron he was currently elbow deep in. Silence reigned once again and Harry quickly lost himself in the numbness of his task, still unwilling to think about the words he and Ginny had exchanged last night and everything that had followed. Unfortunately there was one variable he couldn't ignore as it was currently demanding his attention.

"Why Potter?" Malfoy's voice shattered Harry's welcomed silence.

"Why what Malfoy, am I supposed to be a seer now?" Sarcasm dripped from Harry's voice as he once again looked up to the Slytherin perched on the desk watching him.

"Don't be stupid, I was merely enquiring as to why you refused to sleep with the Weaslette." A look of mild disgust crossed his features as he sneered out the name.

"That's none of your business Malfoy!" Harry's voice shook with anger at the audacity of the boy in front of him.

"Well I understand that she's a Weasley, I mean even I had to picture somebody else so I could touch her but I thought you liked that sort of thing since you surround yourself with them. It's actually a wonder you've not gone blind from the constant glare of red you're subjected to." Harry's jaw hit the floor; Malfoy had managed that sentence with the most serious expression Harry had seen on the boy's face outside of 6th year. It was as though he was actually attempting to figure out a puzzling Arithmacy question, not pondering Harry's sex life or lack thereof. Floundering for something to say Harry could barley think through the fury that was currently surging through his veins. In the end he settled for sending a fierce glare at the ignorant blonde.

"Why do you even care Malfoy, you could have stayed away from all this and ignored us for the year, it was your choice to start all of this."Harry muttered glancing around the room, his eyes flicking over the fidgeting boy perched on the desk every so often. The room was nearly finished Harry realised, the silence returning his ability to concentrate. He'd done most of it of course, slowly working his way around the room following Malfoy's path and finishing the mess he'd left, which incidentally was mostly spilt potions. Although even Harry had to draw the line at touching a potion that had managed to eat its way through a desk and now rested in a fizzing puddle on the floor, Slughorn could deal with that in the morning.

Well it looked as though Malfoy hadn't heard what Harry had said or had just decided to ignore the comment altogether. Looking over in his direction Harry was slightly startled to find Malfoy watching him intently, grey eyes following his every move and yet with a strangely guarded look, giving nothing away. Stopping what he was doing Harry turned to face the Slytherin bestowing a questioning gaze upon him. Malfoy didn't look away, calmly meeting Harry's emerald enquiry. Silver eyes narrowed fractionally and Harry had the startling sensation that he was nothing but an open book for his searching. Minutes had passed and Harry was getting increasingly uncomfortable under the weight of the gaze, beginning to fidget, shifting from one foot to the other. It was Harry's pride however that prevented him from dropping his eyes and breaking the connection. He wasn't going to back down to Malfoy even in something as superficial as a staring contest.

All of a sudden Malfoy dropped his body to rest back on his hands, instead of sitting straight backed on the desk, and a slow smirk began to form on his face.

"Or maybe Weaslette just hasn't got the right attributes for you, as confused as you are Potter." And just like that, Harry found his feet and walked out of the room.

**A.N This was meant to be a little longer but I figured it was better to update sooner, and don't worry there is an underlying reason for all of Malfoy's antics.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry about the wait, had some trouble uploading -_-**

Chapter 3

Harry was on his way up to the Astronomy Tower with Ginny, she wanted them to talk. Not that he wasn't expecting it really after what happened the previous night after all he'd spent all day trying to figure out what to say to her, much to the chagrin of Hermione as he'd failed to take any notes whatsoever. Still, Harry wanted nothing more than to be able to skim over this talk and pretend that nothing ever happened, but he owed a proper explanation to Ginny. He just wished he had one.

He loved Ginny; he knew this and hadn't hesitated to tell her just that on numerous occasions, so just why had he freaked out at sleeping with her? Harry wasn't a shy person and he certainly wasn't a prude, sure he was slightly clueless when it came to the opposite sex, female hormones and fancies where something he had never been able to understand and honestly didn't think he ever would. Even so, Ginny and he had been together since the end of the war and even for a short time in his 6th year before that; Harry wasn't shy around her and Ginny was equally comfortable. They had made their fair share of trips to the Astronomy Tower and other secret places before, just as much as any other Hogwarts couple. They had long passed the "just snogging" stage and were well acquainted with each other's bodies, mostly when clothes were still in the mix of course.

Last night was one of the few times however that they had visited the room of requirement, which amazingly enough had managed to retain its magical properties and repair itself. They had been there a while and were sprawled out on a big four poster bed, Harry nestled comfortably on top of Ginny, their shirts crumpled somewhere on the floor after Ginny had divested them both of them earlier. Things had been building up all evening and Ginny had attempted to undo Harry's buckle a couple of times already only for Harry to distract her with a kiss. A few more interventions later and Ginny had lost her patience.

"Harry are you going to sleep with me or not?" She had demanded, pulling away from his seeking mouth.

"What? No!" he replied, shocked at her outburst.

"Why not? Am I not good enough for you?" Hurt flashed across her face.

"What are you talking about Gin, I love you, and you know that." Harry hurried to reassure her, getting slightly worried by then.

"Well then what are you waiting for? I'm ready Harry, I want you, it won't be a problem you know I learnt all the spells for protection a while ago." Ginny babbled as her hand sought our Harry's belt again.

"No Gin, wait!" He had pushed away from her then moving to sit on the edge of the bed, the candles in the room seeming to glow brighter as he moved. "I don't want..."He sighed, a hand running through his already dishevelled hair as he attempted to order his words. Ginny however, didn't give him the chance.

"You don't want to sleep with me?" Her raised voice took on a shrill note, eerily reminiscent of her mother.

"No that's not what I said" he spluttered, he began tripping over himself to reassure her again. "I'm just not sure if it's what I want right now, I uh, I don't know. I'm really confused right now Ginny" he said honestly. It is the best policy right?

"CONFUSED!" She was positively screeching now, her face growing steadily redder as tears began to well at the corners of her eyes, a sign Harry knew to signal hysteria not sadness. It was something Harry had experienced a few times in the first weeks of the war; he hadn't known how to handle it then and was still none the wiser. "You don't love me do you! Confused...are you gay? No, I'm just not pretty enough for you am I. Is it because I'm GINGER?" Her hands were flailing about now as her speech neared incoherency.

"Ginny you're acting like a child now!"

"I'm too young?"

"NO! For god's sake just shut up, there's nothing wrong with you. It's just something I don't want right now, maybe it's too soon or maybe I'm not ready, maybe I... Jesus Gin I don't know, I'm just confused alright!" He'd shouted, finding himself on his feet as he finally lost the last grips on his temper. Turning his back on the widening eyes of his girlfriend Harry had fetched his shirt and donned it before handing Ginny hers.

"Here, you should put this on" he muttered, unable to raise his eyes to look at her still sat there, frozen in shock. His action seemed to wake her up though as she snatched her shirt and stood up, roughly dragging it on as she stormed wordlessly toward the door. The resounding slam that echoed throughout the room was the last Harry had heard from her until she had approached him at dinner the following night.

Quickening his pace slightly to catch up to Ginny, who was currently speeding up the bottom staircase of the Astronomy Tower, Harry felt his emotions stir. Ginny was nervous he could tell, after flying up the staircase she was now stood in the middle of the tower looking around almost erratically to make sure they were alone. Running a hand through his hair Harry almost wished he could walk away from this, ignore it and hope everything will work out in the end. Going over the memory of what happened last night as he walked up here had only made him want to talk it over even less. However he knew that he would have to sort it out, not only because he loved his girlfriend but also because his Gryffindor attributes were refusing to allow him to do anything but face this problem head on.

By now Ginny had gone to lean against the wall of the tower, situating herself looking out over one of the gaps with her back to Harry, staring unseeingly across the grounds. Mentally groaning Harry realised that she wasn't going to make this situation easy for him, he could tell from her tense stature that she was still angry, and an angry Weasley is a force to be reckoned with. He shouldn't even be in this situation; he had thought Ginny would understand the way he felt. But since when had he ever been able to go through life without having a couple of twists thrown in that he had to deal with though? Rubbing at his temples in an attempt to fight off a quickly mounting headache, Harry stepped forward, determined to sort this out quickly.

"I have something to tell you Harry." He paused, mouth open in preparation for the apologies he had just been about to voice before Ginny had whirled around. Giving a short nod and snapping his mouth shut, Harry gestured for her to carry on, as he wondered why his stomach felt like it was filled with lead all of a sudden.

"You hurt me last night" she whispered, dropping her eyes to stare at the floor at his feet. "I'm sorry I ran out, but I couldn't stay after you... Well thinking back now I was embarrassed but most of all I was angry; I just couldn't understand why you would do that after all the time we've been together." Harry was mildly surprised at the direction this was going as he took in the flash of fury crossing her face and the white knuckled fists at her sides. "Why Harry? That's what I didn't understand, after everything I've given you and everything I that happened after the war. I always knew you were the one, ever since my dad told me the bedtime stories of the Boy Who Lived I knew we would be together and that we would share everything. But you refused and that made me so angry after all the time I waited for you to realise I existed and for us to be together." She raised her eyes and he could see the numerous emotions that where burning behind the blue orbs, sadness, pain and fury. None of them boded well for Harry.

"After I left I just ran; I could hardly see where I was going because I was crying that much. I think I ended up in an empty classroom which was where he found me. At first he just let me talk, sitting next to me and listening as I cried on his shoulder. I calmed down eventually though." She turned away from Harry again, looking back over the landscape; her voice a mere whisper, so much so that Harry had to move to stand next to her so he could hear what she was saying. He was aching to just pull his girlfriend into his arms and comfort her after hearing how much he upset her but something was stopping him. Harry wanted to hear her out and the feeling in his stomach had yet to dissipate giving him a sense of foreboding.

"We realised how late it had gotten and that we should probably get back to our common rooms, but I couldn't face going back to Gryffindor, so he said I could stay with him for the night if I wanted and well... I slept with him Harry." She uttered the last of the sentence in a voice devoid of any emotion. Hearing this caused an immediate revulsion to course through Harry and he was forced to step away from her with the force of it. So many questions were fighting to push to the front of his brain. Why? Did it mean anything to her? Didn't she love him? Or was she just in love with the idea of him like so many other people?

Narrowing his eyes at the red-head Harry felt his blood beginning to boil. With the way she had been talking about him it was as though she expected him to act just like all the stories portrayed; as though she wanted the perfect hero, the saviour of the wizarding world twice over and not Harry. It was clear that she still had some expectations of him and considering all the time she had had to get to know him as a person she should know that he hated nothing more than people telling him he had to do things just because of his reputation. All his life Harry had to deal with the demands and expectations people had put upon him and he was sick of it. He'd thought it would all end after the war now that he had fulfilled the prophecy and defeated Voldemort, but if the headlines of the _Prophet _were anything to go by, he would be measured up to standards by the wizarding public for the rest of his life. He didn't expect it from his family and friends though, they all knew him for the real person he was, and he certainly didn't expect it from his supposed girlfriend.

"Who?" A question had finally managed to defeat all others to the forefront in his brain. He was still facing Ginny, though he had unconsciously put a good two meters of space in between them now, and she looked up at this gruff enquiry. Her eyes widened as she took in Harry's appearance, he had no idea what she was seeing right now considering the whirlwind of emotions he was feeling. He hadn't even blinked before Ginny had broken down, covering her face with her hands in an attempt to smother the noisy sobs wracking her body.

"I...I'm sorry Harry, I love" she managed to choke out before Harry cut her off.

"If you loved me you wouldn't have done it. Who?" He was trying his best to reign in his anger so he could keep his magic under control but the violent sobbing he was currently faced with was only infuriating him more.

"Harry..." She ran forward, enveloping him into a hug, burying her face into his neck. Harry may have been devastated at her betrayal but right now he could feel nothing more than disgust, and he gingerly pulled her arms from around his shoulders and pushed the noisy girl away.

"Don't you dare...I love you Ginny but don't ask me to forgive this because I can't. Just stay the hell away from me from now on." He said forcefully. Giving in to his desire to be as far away as possible from this situation he turned and headed for the door leading to the staircase, attempting to rip the door open in his fury.

"Draco Malfoy" He froze. If the name hadn't been so recognisable he would have missed it, but there it was. Moving once again Harry slammed the door behind him, effectively cutting himself off from Ginny and preceded to storm down the stairs whilst wrestling something from the pocket of his hoodie. Finally unearthing a thick sheaf of parchment as he crossed the bottom of the tower he muttered a quick 'I solemnly swear I'm up to no good' and his eyes were raking across the map with only one name in mind.

Draco Malfoy.


End file.
